AA 2004-15

[This policy was originally developed in accordance with Section 12.15 of the 1998 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board of Trustees of The California State University and the California Faculty Association, which stated, “Procedures for range elevation on the salary schedule shall be established at each campus by the President, after recommendation by the appropriate Academic Senate Committee.”]

I. Eligibility

Lecturers eligible for range elevation on the salary schedule shall be limited to those who have no more Service Salary Increase (SSI) eligibility in their current range, and have served five (5) years in their current range.

1. Each year the Office of Academic Affairs Personnel Services, Division of Academic Affairs, shall compile a list of lecturers eligible for range elevation. On or before November 1st, eligible lecturers shall be notified of their eligibility and each department/division shall receive a list of lecturers eligible for range elevation in that department/division.
2. Each eligible lecturer shall be considered for a range elevation on the salary schedule unless he or she informs the Department/Division Chair in writing of his or her desire not to be considered at this time.

II. Establishing Evaluation Procedures for Departments/Divisions

The award of a range elevation on the salary schedule shall be made by the Dean of the college after consultation with the appropriate department/division. That consultation shall be in the form of a written recommendation to the Dean from the department/division.

1. Departments/divisions may determine their own procedures for evaluating their temporary faculty, in accordance with Article 15, Evaluation of the Unit 3 (Faculty) Agreement, and preparing recommendations regarding range elevation.
2. All current Unit 3 temporary faculty are eligible to participate in all departmental/divisional discussions and decisions pertaining to procedures for range elevation. All such employees must be fully informed of their right to participate and of the days, times, and locations of the meeting at which these issues will be discussed. Such notification must be in writing and must be given five (5) working days before any meeting to discuss these issues.
3. At the beginning of each academic year, the faculty in a departments/division should choose by vote one of the following configurations to evaluate temporary faculty for the purpose of making a recommendation on range elevation.

• • The Department/Division Chair,
  • A designee,
  • An elected Range Elevation Review Committee selected from the faculty within the department/division, or
  • Any combination of one or more of the above.

4. If a department/division chooses to use a Range Elevation Review Committee, all Unit 3 employees in that department/division are eligible to serve on such a committee. The committee shall have no fewer than three (3) members.
5. In any election relating to range elevation, all voting must be by mailed secret ballots. Such elections must be held over a period lasting at least five (5) working days.
6. In the case of a lecturer who does not hold an appointment within a department/division, the lecturer shall select the appropriate department/division to perform the evaluation for recommendation for range elevation, subject to review and concurrence by the appropriate college Dean.
7. Each department/division shall forward its initial procedures on range elevation to the Dean of the college and to the Office of Academic Affairs Personnel Services within ten (10) working days of approving the procedures.

III. Evaluation Criteria

1. To be recommended for range elevation, temporary faculty (excluding coaches) must show professional growth and development appropriate to the work assignment and the mission of the University during the period between the date of initial appointment or, where applicable, the date of the last range elevation and the time of the current request.
2. This section lists examples of activities that may be used to demonstrate appropriate professional growth and development. It is neither exhaustive nor minimal, but simply a listing of the typical professional activities engaged in by temporary faculty in a wide range of disciplines. In all cases quality of performance and appropriateness of the activity shall be the primary consideration when evaluating the merit of a specific activity. Participation alone, in one or more of the activities listed below, does not certify a temporary faculty for a range elevation. Activities are listed alphabetically, and no weighting shall be inferred from the order.

• • Active participation at professional meetings and conferences
  • Activities enhancing the effective teaching of the discipline
  • Advising and mentoring student associations
  • Collaborative research and creative activity involving the campus and the community
  • Collaborative teaching
  • Contributions to improving the campus climate: the promotion of mutual respect and acceptance of diversity in all its forms
  • Creative activities in support of effective teaching
  • Curriculum and program development
  • Development of instructional materials
  • Development of standards and/or outcomes assessment
  • Editing of publications
  • External fundraising and resource development related to the mission of the University
  • Fostering of collegiality
  • Grant proposals to conduct research in the discipline, to support pedagogy, or to further the mission of the University
  • Increased mastery of the discipline evidenced by additional relevant education or an additional degree
  • Involvement of students in the research and creative processes
  • Leadership and active participation in service activities of professional associations
  • Leadership and special contributions to the basic instructional mission of the University
  • Leadership in faculty governance and campus life at the department/division, college, University, or CSU system level
  • Maintenance and technical support of University labs, equipment, materials, supplies, safety standards, and any other support of environments that require advanced professional attention
  • Mentoring of colleagues
  • Organizing events and activities for the sharing of ideas and knowledge
  • Presentations at conferences
  • Professional contributions to the community, including professional efforts which bring the community and the campus together
  • Program advising
  • Publications, exhibitions, and/or performances that advance knowledge
  • Recruitment and retention of students
  • Research and/or creative activity in discipline-related pedagogy
  • Research and/or creative activity in the discipline
  • Teaching and instructionally-related activities
  • Thesis research and supervision

IV. Application and Evaluation

A. Application

1. The Candidate: To be evaluated for range elevation, each candidate must submit application materials that conform to the requirements of his or her department/division.
2. The Department/Division: As part of its range elevation procedures, each department/division may define the collection of materials to be considered in an application for range elevation. At a minimum, the candidate shall provide the following materials:

• • a current curriculum vita;
  • a description and/or a list of the candidate’s work assignments for each semester of the period under consideration;
  • a narrative describing his/her professional growth and development during this time period; and
  • student evaluation summaries for all evaluated courses taught by the candidate in the department/division during the period of evaluation.

B. Evaluation

1. The Department/Division

1. 1. Each department/division shall prepare a recommendation regarding range elevation for each eligible candidate considered. This recommendation shall be a written report that includes the department/division’s decision as well as the reasons for reaching that decision. A copy of this recommendation shall be forwarded to the candidate, Department/ Division Chair, and Dean.
   2. The department/division must assess the quality and appropriateness of the candidate’s experience. Materials submitted by the candidate shall be evaluated in relation to the candidate’s work assignment while employed in the department/division. Departments/ divisions may not require but may consider evidence of performance outside of the area of the candidate’s work assignment.
   3. Department/division evaluators may seek additional information to verify a candidate’s claims. The candidate may be required to provide additional documentation. Evaluators may also solicit written comments from the Department/Division Chair or faculty peers to clarify information provided by the candidate. Any comments that are used to determine a recommendation must be included as supplemental attachments to the final written report and must be available to the candidate.
   4. When a candidate is asked to provide additional documentation, the burden of supplying this documentation in a timely manner resides with the candidate. Failure to provide requested information shall not delay either the evaluation process or the preparation of the department/division’s recommendation.

2. The Dean

1. 1. Once the department/division has prepared its recommendation, it shall be forwarded to the Dean of the college who shall make the final decision on awarding a range elevation to the candidate.
   2. The decision of the Dean shall be forwarded to the candidate with a copy to the department/division and to the Office of Academic Affairs Personnel Services.
   3. When a candidate’s request is denied, the Dean must provide the candidate and department/division with a written explanation of the reasons for the denial.

C. Timetable

Range elevation decisions must be made by the Dean by or before April 1st of each year.

V. Handling Disputes

Denial of range elevations shall be subject to the peer review process pursuant to Provision 10.11 of the Unit 3 (Faculty) Agreement except that the peer panel’s decision shall be final. On each campus the pool for funding successful lecturer range elevation appeals is limited to four (4) steps per each 50 lecturer faculty eligible for range elevation.